Review by Booklist Review
Jackson is the head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls. The team won three successive championships with Jackson in charge. A fellow named Michael Jordan was on those teams, so there are those who dismiss Jackson's coaching ability in favor of an "anybody could win with Michael" theory. They're wrong. Jackson is an excellent tactician and a shrewd motivator who contributes greatly to the Bulls' success. Here he puts forth his coaching philosophies, an eclectic mix of hoop sense, Zen, Native American wisdom, and Western philosophy. His earliest challenge was to maximize Jordan's skills by convincing him to believe in his teammates' abilities. He met it with an assist from the philosophy of a Middle Eastern guru. Jackson has always had a reputation for being a little off center, and this book will provide fuel for his critics. His genius isn't for devising strategy but for inducing wealthy, pampered, often petulant young men to pull together spiritually to attain a common goal. To the cynics who will mock his spiritual approach to leadership, we can only offer the lyrics to an old song: "What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?" Thought-provoking reading. (Reviewed Sept. 1, 1995)0786862068Wes Lukowsky
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Review by Library Journal Review
Considered a maverick for his unorthodox coaching methods, Jackson demonstrates how he adapts the precepts of Zen Buddhism, the ways of the Lakota Sioux, and other alternative styles to the task of coaching the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. They range from group meditation sessions, to hanging Lakota warrior items on the locker room shelf, to splicing segments of the movie Wizard of Oz into game films to make a point. Perhaps of greater interest to fans are his reactions to the return of Michael Jordan, following Jordan's retirement, and his take on an incident in which one of his players refused to reenter a playoff game during its final moments. Chicago Bulls fans, in particular, should take interest in this inside view. For regional and large public libraries.-William H. Hoffman, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., Fla. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Chicago Bulls coach Jackson (with People editor Delehanty) offers an unusual mixture of New Age advice and basketball knowledge, a sort of Zen and the Art of Pro Hoops. Perhaps the most important thing that Jackson has learned in his many years of basketball, first as a player for the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, then as a coach in both the minor and major leagues, is that ``winning is ephemeral.'' That is a refreshing attitude for a pro sports coach to take, and it runs throughout this book. Jackson begins his story with Michael Jordan's return to the Bulls toward the end of last season, then flashes back to his own youth in North Dakota. The son of two deeply committed fundamentalist Christians, Jackson has spent much of his adult life trying to reconcile his upbringing with the lessons in Zen Buddhism that he has acquired. Couched in Zen metaphors, his message can be boiled down to two simple precepts: The team is more important than any one player (or coach), and you have to live in the moment, on and off the court, to get the most out of your experiences. Jackson explains succinctly how the Zen Buddhist concern with clearing the mind of impurities to focus on immediate sensation can be put to use in a range of situations. He is surprisingly adept at using examples from NBA play to illustrate seemingly arcane spiritual concepts and, given his resultsthree NBA titles in a row with Chicagoone hesitates to diss him too much. On the other hand, as this season's outcome reminds us, a rebounding power forward is as necessary to winning as a clear mind. Not the goofy, New Age tract you might expect, but probably too abstruse for most basketball fans, with too much basketball for spiritual seekers.
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